This invention relates to a scanning atomic force microscope and scanning proximity field optical microscope for observing microscopic surface geometry or physical information, and to a memory device used to perform data recording and reading out.
Conventionally, in the probe microscope the detection of displacement using the action of a force between a probe and a sample has been an important technology in conducting distance control between the probe and the sample. Among the conventional distance control means are an optical lever method or an optical interference method using light, and further a self-detection type probe using a piezoelectric element is known, and so on.
The conventional optical lever method or optical interference method required a positioning mechanism to align an optical axis with the probe, together with difficultly in optical axis adjustment operation. There has been a problem in that the self-detection type probe using a piezoelectric element was complicated in the probe manufacture process. Furthermore, there has been a demand for a probe having a higher resonant frequency in order to carry out scanning at high speed.